ARMENIA SAYS TURKISH DEPORTATION THREAT RINGS OF 1915

Asbarez
Mar 18th, 2010

YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenia has compared a threat by Turkey’s prime
minister to deport thousands of Armenian immigrants from Turkey to
the language that preceded the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

The two neighbors signed a deal last year to normalize relations and
reopen their border, but the agreement has stalled as they exchange
recriminations.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the deportation
threat late on March 16 in reaction to the adoption by U.S. and
Swedish lawmakers of nonbinding votes branding the massacres of the
last century as genocide.

He told the BBC Turkish service there were 100,000 Armenians living
illegally in Turkey. "If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000
to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don’t
have to keep them in my country."

Armenia and Turkish-Armenian groups say the figure is inflated.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said today that such
statements "lead to absolutely negative consequences."

"The events that led to the Armenian genocide of 1915 began with
such statements," he told a news conference, urging Turkey to move
ahead with ratifying the accords to establish diplomatic ties and
open their land frontier.

Since signing the deal in October last year, Turkey has held up
ratifying the agreements in its parliament, demanding Armenia first
agree to a set of preconditions unrelated to the agreement.

A backlash by oil-producing Azerbaijan, Turkey’s fellow Muslim ally
and enemy of Christian Armenia has also slammed on the brakes.